We assigned Amy the task of dressing up for a Thanksgiving dinner party. She came away with:

Black dress: No label, $5.87

Black satin pumps: Clery, Webb & Touraine, $10.36

Earrings: $2.06

Total: $18.83

What she beelines to first: "Dresses are the best value in the store because it's basically a whole outfit for $5."

How she got into thrifting: "My family has always been into it. We would go and find antique household goods at thrift stores for great prices. It just kind of moved over into clothes because I love to shop."

The First Date

Kayla Vanstone, 23, CVS employee, Clearwater

Kayla got first date-ready with $20 and dream of being sexy but comfortable.

Dress: Wet Seal, $5.87

Shoes: Chadwicks, $10.36

Necklace and bracelet: Laliberi Scarf Adornment, $1.49 each

Total: $19.21

One of the surprising parts of thrifting: "The stuff people leave behind in the pockets. I found money one time and another time I found a condom wrapper. At least that was in a men's leather jacket."

Her thrifting methods: "It would take me a long time, maybe half a day, because there is a lot to look through. I want to make sure I've got what I want so I really have to get in there and dig."

Kat's heading to Saturday's Macklemore and Ryan Lewis concert at the USF Sun Dome in her look, ready to be seen.

Jumpsuit: Barboglio Cristine Jan, $5.87

Blazer: Linea by Louis Dell'Olio, $6.97

Total: $12.84

Her style dictums: "Loud. I love pieces that are loud and unique and just bright. For my birthday I found a gold-sequined Beyonce cocktail dress for $5 at Goodwill."

Why thrifting is here to stay: "Honestly, I think some of the best-dressed people in Tampa are thrifters. We're at the place that it's nothing to be ashamed of and people even post their thrift-shop outfits on Instagram."

The Office

Katie Lamont, 17, senior at East Lake High School, Palm Harbor

Not everyday is a party. Katie shows off office chic for less with her $20 budget.

Blazer: Jones Wear Petite, $5.87

Earrings: $2.06

Top: Kristen, $4.27

Skirt: Worthington, $4.77

Total: $16.97

How she got into thrifting: "I started in the seventh grade, easing into it through resale shops like Plato's Closet, just to get into the idea that the clothes I'm wearing aren't brand new."

Why giving is as much fun as receiving: "I donate almost as much as I shop because when you're in the stores you kind of see the good that it can do."

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

With a mug marked by freckles, wavy red hair and a goofy smile, Macklemore, right, isn't exactly the dude you'd expect to be wielding the weapon of hip-hop to change the landscape of pop radio. That's all fine by the 30-year-old born Ben Haggerty. His hit single Thrift Shop is the first song in two decades to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 without major label support, and he used that freedom to release a follow-up single (Same Love) powered by sparse piano and lyrics that completely bash the homophobia and small-mindedness he saw in a lot of today's rap music and the world at large. His positive message is making his current tour a hot ticket, and new fans are in for a treat when a rap elder statesman (Talib Kweli) and up-and-comer (Big K.R.I.T.) open the show. It's at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the USF Sun Dome, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. $35-$45. (813) 974-3002. — Ray Roa